Lake Superior State University: merit scholarships by ACT score
Lake Superior State University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid crossing ACT score with GPA. Awards start at an ACT of 20 and reach $5,000 a year. Because the bands are steps rather than a slope, one point is worth nothing inside a band and the whole step at the edge of one.
Enter a score and a GPA below to see which band it actually lands in, what that band pays, and exactly how many points the next one needs.
Read this first
A student receives the Gateway award or the Catalyst award, not both. Catalyst requires meeting BOTH the GPA and the score for its tier — LSSU states that meeting only one does not suffice. The figures are published for 2026-27 and may be behind for a later entry year.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — an ACT 29 with a 3.60 GPA
Laker Catalyst Award
$4,000 / year
About $16,000 over four years, if it renews.
There is no higher band to reach at this GPA — more points would not change the award here. They may still matter for admission, for honours programmes, or at other schools on the list.
Knowing where a score sits is the easy part. Moving it starts with knowing exactly which questions they're being missed, and why.
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The published LSSU merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Lake Superior State University’s own pages for 2026-27 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Laker Catalyst Award (GPA and a test score)
Both criteria must be met for a tier. Pays double the Gateway award at every rung. Automatic with admission.
$5,000
Laker Catalyst Award
ACT 25–36 · 3.75+
$4,000
Laker Catalyst Award
ACT 22–36 · 3.50+
$3,000
Laker Catalyst Award
ACT 20–36 · 3.00+
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Laker Catalyst Award | ACT 25–36 · 3.75+ | $5,000 |
| Laker Catalyst Award | ACT 22–36 · 3.50+ | $4,000 |
| Laker Catalyst Award | ACT 20–36 · 3.00+ | $3,000 |
Source: Incoming student scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Laker Gateway Award (GPA only)
For students without a qualifying score. Automatic with admission, no extra steps.
$2,500
Laker Gateway Award
No score needed
$2,000
Laker Gateway Award
No score needed
$1,500
Laker Gateway Award
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Laker Gateway Award | — | $2,500 |
| Laker Gateway Award | — | $2,000 |
| Laker Gateway Award | — | $1,500 |
Source: Incoming student scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Does LSSU superscore for scholarships?
Not stated on LSSU's own pages. That matters here, because the whole gap between Gateway and Catalyst turns on clearing a score threshold — a student near a 20, 22 or 25 should ask in writing whether sittings can be combined.
With nothing published, plan for the stricter reading: look up your best single sitting in the grid above, work out your superscore as well, and ask LSSU’s financial aid office which one they read before you count on the higher band.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from Lake Superior State University’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- A student receives Gateway or Catalyst, never both.
- Catalyst pays roughly double Gateway at every tier, so the ACT is worth $1,500 to $2,500 a year here.
- Catalyst requires BOTH the GPA and the score for a tier — LSSU says meeting only one does not suffice.
- There is no residency split. LSSU publishes the same figures for in-state and out-of-state students.
- Renewal needs only a 2.75 LSSU GPA, which is more forgiving than the 3.0 entry floor.
- The Presidential, Hart, Anchor, Eastern U.P. and Laker Lineage awards all need an application and are not part of this grid. The Anchor award also requires living on campus.
- The figures are published for 2026-27 and LSSU has not posted a later year.
Check before you rely on it. Grids change by entry year and schools update them without notice. This page is a reproduction with a date on it, not a guarantee, and it is not financial aid advice. ClutchACT is not affiliated with Lake Superior State University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at LSSU?
Automatic merit aid at Lake Superior State University starts at an ACT composite of 20, alongside the published GPA minimum, and reaches $5,000 a year at the top of the 2 grids it publishes. The bands are steps rather than a slope, so the only score that matters is the next threshold above where you are now.
Is LSSU test-optional?
The scholarship page does not state the admission testing requirement, so nothing is claimed about it here. For merit aid the answer is different: a score is optional and worth exactly double. Without one a student reaches the Gateway ladder, which tops out at $2,500; with one they reach Catalyst, which pays $3,000 to $5,000 for the same GPA plus a qualifying score. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
How much is a 30 on the ACT worth at LSSU?
On LSSU's published grid for 2026-27 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Laker Catalyst Award (GPA and a test score) — Laker Catalyst Award at $4,000 a year, about $16,000 over four years if it renews; Laker Gateway Award (GPA only) — Laker Gateway Award at $2,000 a year, about $8,000 over four years if it renews.
How much is one more ACT point worth at LSSU?
The most valuable single point on LSSU's published grid is 21 to 22, at a 3.5 GPA: it moves the award by $1,000 a year, or $4,000 across a four-year degree on the Laker Catalyst Award (GPA and a test score) grid. The same point is worth less at other GPAs, and most points move nothing at all — the grid steps rather than slopes, which is why the only score worth aiming at is the next threshold.
Does LSSU superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated on LSSU's own pages. That matters here, because the whole gap between Gateway and Catalyst turns on clearing a score threshold — a student near a 20, 22 or 25 should ask in writing whether sittings can be combined.
Is this LSSU scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Lake Superior State University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-24. The sources are linked at the bottom of the page with that date. Grids change by entry year, so check the source before relying on a figure for a decision.
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What to do next
You know what a score is worth at LSSU. The question is whether you can move it.
A grid tells you the target. It does not tell you which questions are costing the points between here and there. That takes about three minutes to find out.
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